2020 Was All But Funny

 A new year and a decade had commenced, it was mind-blowing for many. Globally, everybody had different perceptions, anticipations, and expectations of how the year would turn out.

“I was glad to see 2019 go, so I was hopeful for 2020.  But very early in the new year (within the first ten days of January), there were a couple of events in the news that made me worry in a big way, and I was sort of on edge after that. Then you know what happened after that. At this point, I’m just trying to keep up with everything I can regarding work, technology, my friends, and especially my family. This pandemic has hyper-focused the lens on what’s important for me, and I’m trying just to let the rest of it go. And I’m looking forward to inauguration day in a big way,” Mrs. Olivia Braun said.

 Even though it was the beginning of a new decade, people didn’t expect much. Our parents would still go to work, students were to resume their studies, and the sports season wasn’t dissimilar from the prior ones.

“I thought everything would continue as normal, even though it was a new decade. Nothing distinctive was going to happen,” Mr. Fred Wekesa said. Nobody expected anything to happen until it did. 

“At first, I wasn’t worried. I knew that we would stay home for spring break and resume back to classes the subsequent week, but weeks turned into months, and almost five months, our classes culminated into online learning. To me, this was stunning,” Freshman Emmanuel Soita said. Unexpected was the word to describe it. The pandemic caught everybody off guard, and it has devoured the lives of many. In general, it has inflicted us to an extent, which is beyond restoration. Only time will tell how significant this hurdle has posed in our lives.

Another aspect American citizens are putting into their list of concerns in 2020 is the invasion of “Murder Hornets.” With the ongoing pandemic, the least you can expect is to be in your backyard and see a swarm of giant bees invading your space. People on Social media are pouring out their thoughts on this concern, “With all that has happened, I’m persuaded that the apocalypse has commenced,” Mr. John Kemboi said.  As insane as it appears, it may be valid with everything that has happened.

In terms of schools, students had high expectations. Some were looking forward to starting their high school journey, others were anticipating going to college. All of those expectations were completely let down with online schooling though, as the best parts of school were gone. “Staying at home has been exhausting; I’m in great distress, and I feel like I’m missing an essential aspect that will mold my life,” Senior Serena Lanes said.

Everyone has tasted the bitterness of the year, from the pandemic COVID-19 to the murder hornets and now online classes. Even though this has become the new normal, many have hopes of life as people once knew returning eventually.